Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-29
DAVID TODD.


rest Joseph Dana Miller.
DAVID TODD.
have returned to Baltimore after NJ
absence of twenty years, and on this frs
evening in my old home am thinking of ,
distant kinsman who has long been dead
So insistent is the memory that as l stoos
a moment since looking out into the rain.
dusk, it almost seemed as IL he too mus
soon be among the men who are passinl
through the rays o: red and green ligh
streaming from the apothecary's window
opposite.
He was q tall, somber person whom tn
negroes held in awe as one likely to prac
tice black arts on those who aroused hi
wrath. used often to listen to the talk o
a rheumatic old nesress, with fingers a
knottcd and twisted as roots, who believed
herself to have been ''cunjurcd' by him
As he stalked past her door, where she wa!
in the habit of summing herself. she Womb
shrink together until she seemed scarcel,
ally uncurling herself rs his footstep.
died away in the distance, would sit chat
tering with anger, muttering the curse:
she had not dared to let him hear, lone
efter he was out of sight. Yet l believ,
David Todd never knew Of her existence
for he went his way among his fellows
lost in baffied, cropping thought, rs il mont
Of them had enough affinity for him Il
draw his eyes outward from the thoughts
that held him.
He was OF n good Quaker family and
for years filed the chair of natural his
tory in the college Of Y. At length, how
ever. there began TO he queer rumors con
cerning him Ii was said that he fancied
he had discovered the origin Of life, and
bending over his crucibles attempted the
role of Creator. But whatever town tall
might invent concerning him, no ono
really knew much about his affairs: for ht
had always been taciturn man, and now
developed an irasciblc, suspicious man
ncr toward his old associates that led them
to avoid him; and before long he himself
plunged into n preoccupation that seemed
to blot out from his mind all consciousness
Of his neichbors.
His work. whatever it might be, bound
him, it was said, to unremitting toll; bu,
MS time went on without the result Of his
labors appearing, the world which he had
forgotten in turn forgot him-or nearly
so. The negroes, who had probably origi
nally gathered the idea OF something mys
terious about him from the gossip Of theii
masters, still talked of the light always
to be seen burning until early morning In
the attic Of his house; light which they
said proceeded from candle made Of dead
mcn's fat and caused whoever looked long
to fall asleep. "Mahs Todd an de debblt
aint Got no call to hab folks foolin' bout
ter see wat dcy's at" they explained; and
this idea Cf his crooked ways was
carefully strengthened by an old aunty
who lived under his roof, and who was
not little proud Of the league heI
master WAS understood to have with the
evil one, although she weekly showed the
working CT divine grace in herself by
jumping and shouting in .'mectin',", and
moreover, had been immersed In order
TINT SIZE might be quite sure that no tain,
OF original sin adhered to her.
She possessed considerable skill in herbs
anil Was to boot n shrcwd old body, quick
to use Ecr masters supposed powers rs a
E:caas OF increasing her reputation for
k2owinrncss. But il spite of the liber.
ties she took with his name. no one at bot
tom believed moro in his nr.s than Aunt
Kitty. His gloomy. distracted ways
;.wcd her; and although nothing cxtrao--
,Ii,-rv eyer b.p,cpcI In the bouse her
imn~inat;on. like an orchid. seemed TO find
enough il the air to keep it ilou-ishing.
TIE ore other inr,rt, of the house eve
n, such play 10 her fancy. David Todd's
81 ter. Rachel, was n slight. timid and
rather deaf Little woman. whom indoor life
had made p,lc. and her occupotions were
perfectly simple and evident. Setting neat
stitches seemed to be the form duty had
taken to her. and tending n few window
plants and rea;Iips, her Bible and Milton :
Paradise Lost made the sum of her Plea
ure Poor Racbel-shc had becn the lac,
cnill born in the house and il had becu
her lot To sse the gradual l,lisin1ccrat;o Of
the family, and TO stand Mt last in silent
rooms where laughter on her Inns would
have seemed ghostly to her. even IL the
ye,rs- which had taken so much nway
from her. had not at last stripped her Of
her original small stock of buoyancy.
Living in the dim rooms she had grown
almost as ouicscent as the moths that now
and then finding their way into the house
f-o.n the masses of Virrinia creeper about
The windows, Law motionless at the bottom
of the names,
Five wears before the date Of our story
She had been thrown into The great
est futtcr of her life by having
?, orpban niece placed under her
c;.arrc until the rirors Of New
England winter should be past, The yis-
i;or was n radiant Girl with golden brown
pvcs and n brirbt yellow hair in whose
soft masses au amber comb often shone
Rachel lowered abou, her in an ecstas; of
admiration. and was the most submissive
elder that ever n wayy7ar,l girl undertake
10 manage: and indeed. not only she and
the willful Aunt Kitty came under Ethel's
syay. but even David lost some of his in.
attention To what WINS roinp On in tho
couse and showed a grim pleasure in the
girls coaxipy ways.
The cheerful dnys went nv 90 ou;clJv
t,,,t II seemed To Rachel ns IL there bad
never been n year when the dan,lelions
,2rne SO soon: and before any of the three
older people were willing to think Of
Cthel's departure she began TO talk